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And so today the gloomy pachyderm sat quietly in the corner, as the PM addressed undeniably important issues such as homelessness and family violence.

"Nobody wants to live in a country where, despite a strong economy, families are homeless, where our environment is being rapidly degraded and people with mental health issues do not receive the support they need, and where we have shocking levels of family violence and child poverty," Ardern told the crowd.

Where the economy, and the current slow down in GDP growth was addressed, the blame was pointed squarely off-shore.

"The tariff war between the US and China has flared up again," she said. "The US economy is also showing signs of slowing. And uncertainty in Europe due in large part to Brexit is ongoing adding further to the global economic headwinds we face."

These things are true but, if the strong export returns and record stock market levels are to be believed, they are yet to have had a significant impact on the local economy.